


The Good Memories

by Shadow_Of_A_Smile



Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: Flashbacks, Future, Implied Relationships, Memories, Multi, ambiguous time period, good memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-31 13:34:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6471982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow_Of_A_Smile/pseuds/Shadow_Of_A_Smile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam make Henry remember, and the good memories don't hurt anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There are a lot of places where relationships are implied, some more so than others. If you like the relationship, read it as if they're together, if you don't then read it as if they aren't. It works either way, and it happens a lot, so I thought I would warn you beforehand to avoid confusion.

It reminded Henry of James in a way, the comfortable quiet they could share. James had always known when to give Henry space to think, and even sitting so close to the man he had murdered, Adam was showing that he was more than capable of doing the same. Of course, Adam had his own thoughts to sort through, and the two rarely spoke to each other, so the silence made sense.

“I love it when it snows,” Henry stated, watching a couple of flakes flutter to the ground in front of him. He knew Adam was watching him, but he didn’t know what it could possibly hurt. Time had passed, things had changed, and people were gone now. All the power Adam had held over him had disappeared with them.

There was a long silence as they dwelled in their thoughts, reveling in the memories they had of snow. Henry couldn’t help but think of a rosy cheeky Abigail, he smile glowing as she came in from an afternoon of playing with Abe in the snow. It didn’t hurt to think of her anymore, instead drawing a slight smile to his lips.

“How do you do it Henry?” Adam asked suddenly, his voice the same raspy tone Henry used to despise. 

“I don’t believe I quite understand what you mean,” Henry replied, looking at Adam for the first time since he sat down. The other immortal looked the same as always, and even though Henry knew that he himself would as well, it was strange to see someone not change as time bore down on them.

“How can you sit there and smile after everything that’s happened to you?” Adam asked, a hint of anger edging on his tone. “How can you care about anything or anyone? It just isn’t realistic for people like us.”

Henry looked at Adam, wondering if he was actually curious. He had never expressed any interest in human connection, and Henry didn’t know why he would be curious now. It went against most of what he knew about Adam, everything he had ever known about the other immortal. Ever since they had met, Adam had considered humans fleeting pleasures, never around for long and worth nothing more than a quick distraction. That very mindset had caused most of their conflicts. Henry didn’t know if Adam was serious or only trying to make Henry doubt himself, but he decided to give him a serious answer.

“It’s quite simple. You just have to look past all the pain and the suffering until you can see the beauty it conceals.” Henry looked up at Adam, who was staring at him with interest.

“After everything you’ve seen, you still think there’s beauty? You’re even more naive than I thought,” Adam scoffed, but Henry could see from the look on his face that he was interested, so he continued.

“If I’ve learned one thing from everything I’ve seen, it is  that there is most certainly beauty in the world,” Henry countered. “This snow, for example, is quite stunning.”

Adam shook his mouth. “It will melt by the morning. Hardly even worth noticing.”

“When you live as long as we do, you have to stop think about time and just enjoy the moment,” Henry stated.

Adam looked at him a moment more, then shook his head, turning away from Henry. It was clear he did not intend to continue the conversation, which left Henry to dissolve into his own thoughts, thinking of the time when he had learned that very lesson.

_ James was coughing, and Henry couldn’t ignore the blood in the napkin, no matter how hard he tried. It was breaking his heart to see his dear friend slowly wither away, and he couldn’t force himself to ignore the symptoms that James was trying so hard to hide. It seemed so obvious that he couldn’t help but wonder why no one else had noticed. _

_ “Henry…” James said, his voice still rough and raspy from his coughing. He sighed. “Can’t you at least pretend you don’t notice?” _

_ Henry couldn’t deny his friend such a simple request, and he offered a small smile to his friend. He hated seeing him like this, but if James was only going to live for a few more months, Henry wasn’t going to deny him the opportunity to make the best of them. It was so incredibly hard to watch James go through this, and Henry wished he could do something to help, but no matter how many treatments they tried,both him and James knew that there was no chance James would be able to hold on for much longer. _

_ “Of course,” Was Henry’s reply, his voice gentle. He didn’t want to upset James, not now. He wanted to make his friend’s last few months bearable, and he would get nowhere if he started out by disobeying his wishes. As hard as it was, Henry returned to his book. He may have read the same line over and over until it was ingrained in his brain, but James didn’t seem to notice, so it was of no consequence. _

_ For a while, they just coexisted like that, Henry forcing himself to keep his eyes on the page every time James coughed. It seemed an impossible task, and James soon realized that he was struggling. _

_ “I do not mean to torture you Henry. You are free to leave if you wish,” James said, and Henry looked up at him. “I know you don’t much enjoy spending your evenings in the company of others, you are free to retire to bed if you wish.” _

_ Henry closed his book, thinking of how James sounded so hopeless. He was clearing his throat every other line, and his words showed just how much he had given up on his own life. Any other evening he would have begged Henry to join him at a bar or some other place he knew girls would frequent.The formality of his words paired with the content only served to prove that he was giving up on Henry as much as on himself. _

_ “On the contrary James, I would rather prefer to spend this evening in the company of a beautiful woman. Do you know of any place where I could find such company?” Henry was lying, but only to make James smile.  He knew that his friend would be unable to resist a night chasing after girls, no matter how sick he was. _

_ And James did smile, a tiny, bittersweet turning up of his lips. He knew what Henry was doing. “As a matter of fact, I know of several.” _

_ “Would you mind terribly showing me to one of these places?” Henry asked, his own lips curling into a smile. _

_ “I suppose I could do that. Just let me get my coat.” JAmes disappeared, and Henry waited for him, wondering if James going out in public was a good idea. He was past the stage where he would be contagious, but not everyone would know that, and the coughing up blood may cause a panic in the crowd. Before Henry could over think things, however, James returned with his coat, and they set out, James leading the way but walking not an inch ahead of Henry. _

_ It was late fall, and the night air was cool on Henry’s face. The entire city should have been asleep, but there was at least one shop with lights aglow on every corner, and Henry marveled at how things had changed so drastically, trying not to think about how they were about to change again once James was gone. The silence he shared with his friend was comfortable, and it occurred to Henry how little they really talked. They were colleagues and great friends, yet on any given day, they barely spoke more than ten sentences to each other. The exchange they had before coming out tonight had been one of their longest conversation, and it amazed Henry how close they could be and still know hardly anything about each other. _

_ They made it to the bar, and the first thing James did was order his drink. Henry prefered to watch, seeing James become more and more intoxicated and less and less inhibited. He danced with nearly every lady, Henry watching all the while and wondering how many were fantasizing about a future that James wouldn’t even live to see. It was good to see James have a good time, and despite his general disinterest in bars, he had to admit that he had an enjoyable evening.  _

_ When James returned to Henry’s side, his face was flushed red from the drink and dance, and overall glow surrounding his features. His happiness was contagious, and Henry couldn’t help but smile as he enthusiastically ordered another round of drinks. _

_ “This was a great idea Henry!” James slurred, slipping over his words. He threw an arm over Henry’s shoulder, laughing a bit. “I’m glad you changed your opinion of bars.” _

_ Henry smiled at his friend, not correcting him. When time is limited, the truth is trivial. James continued to tell him about anything and everything, and Henry hung onto every word, trying to memorize the sound of his voice. All too soon, he would be gone and Henry would be left trying to hold on to the memory. _

_ “Oh! Henry, you should dance! The girls would love that!” James suddenly exclaimed. Henry couldn’t help but smile at how different his friend could be when he was drunk. Sober, James was put together and shy, almost to the point of being withdrawn. It was one of the reasons he got along so well with Henry, but Henry certainly didn’t mind seeing James drunk either. _

_ “I’d rather not. You seem to be having plenty of luck without me.” Henry wasn’t wrong. James had at least five girls anxiously waiting for him to step out onto the dance floor again. This didn’t manage to stop his friend from dragging him onto the dance floor, despite his numerous protests. _

_ “Just dance Henry. You’ll have fun, I promise.” James said, his voice raspy from the drink and his cough. Henry normally would have shrugged off the request and returned to his seat, but he didn’t have enough time left with James to deny him. He tried to dance, knowing all the while that he looked like a fool. James couldn’t help but laugh at the scene, and Henry stopped immediately. _

_ “I’m more of a slow dance sort of person,” Henry apologized, making to return to his seat. James shook his head and grabbed Henry’s wrist, forcing him to remain on the dance floor. _

_ “We can change that.” James promised, his voice serious. He stepped closer to Henry and took his arm, moving it slowly in motions much more akin to dancing than Henry’s previous attempts. He stepped behind Henry, taking his other arm as well and guiding his motion. Before Henry could really process what was happening, he lost himself in the sound of the music and the feel of James controlling his movements to match the beat. He felt as though the world was simple in that moment, just James trying to teach him to dance in a crowded bar. He didn’t think once about James’ limited time. Everything was so easy, and when James turned him around so they faced each other, Henry found himself staring deeply into his friend’s eyes. Without James guiding him, Henry was hesitant to try dancing again, but his muscle’s remembered the way James had taught him and he found himself moving to the beat. Henry lost himself in the feeling of the bar, the bottom of his glass, and the eyes of his friend. He wasn’t sure he ever wanted to find himself. _


	2. Chapter 2

Adam looked like he had just woken up when he joined Henry on the roof. The entire city rose up around them, giants seeming to threaten their little stronghold. Henry loved to spend time out here, to see how inferior he really was to the power of change, but Adam couldn’t stand the place. He hated feeling powerless, and Henry was surprised to see him.

“ Quid agis mane Henry,” Adam greeted.(Good morning) Henry had learned Latin over the years, and the two used the language to communicate when Adam was feeling reflective.

“Salve,” was all he responded. (Hello)

There was a long silence as Henry sipped at his tea. He knew there had to be a reason for Adam’s presence, especially if he had reverted to speaking the first language he had learned. He was proven correct when Adam was once again the first to speak.

“Did she leave when she found out?” Adam asked. There was no clear emotion to his voice, but Henry knew that Adam was very good at hiding whatever emotions he might have. There was only one person he could be talking about, only one person he hadn’t been able to see react himself. Jo.

Henry shook his head. “No.”

Adam looked surprised, turning to look at Henry. “Really?”

“She went away for a time. But she came back.” 

Adam gave a smile before he left and Henry could have almost sworn that he had been feeling guilty about what he had done. He thought back on when Jo had come back, to when she had finally trusted him, smiling at the memory.

_ Henry hated April 7th. He tended to spend that day locked away, doing his very best not to think of his first death. He sometimes took enough sleeping pills to keep him unconscious all day, just so he wouldn’t have to face the day. But today, his death didn’t even cross his mind. It had been far too long since he had been around Jo, and he was beginning to think that she was never going to be able to process the truth he had told her. He needed to distract himself somehow, and on a whim he decided that ice cream was the best way to do that. He was sitting in front of a tiny little ice cream shop, eating a cone of vanilla ice cream and thinking about how far the quality of ice cream had fallen over the years when he saw her. She was walking towards him, and he forced himself to focus on his cone and not give away how happy he was to see her. _

_ “I didn’t know you liked ice cream,” Jo stated, taking a seat next to him. _

_ “I rarely indulge myself in such pleasures, but I do enjoy a cone every once in awhile.” He admitted. It was impossible to miss Jo’s smile. _

_ “I would have expected you to be at Marble Slab Creamery or something, not some simple roadside ice cream shop.” _

_ “”Ice cream is a simple pleasure, and deserves to be treated as such,” Henry stated decidedly. Before he had time to realize Jo wasn’t answering, he felt his nose collide with his ice cream cone. He looked up at Jo, who was laughing uncontrollably and had out here phone. It only took him a moment to realize that this was her doing. _

_ “Hold on Henry, let me get a picture,” She requested, and Henry knew he owed her a lot more than one picture, so he didn’t move.She had controlled her laughing by the time she put her phone away, and she caught his eye. He froze, admiring the way the light danced behind her irises and unable to look away. SHe leaned in a  bit and his heart started beating even faster, not sure what he expected, what he wanted. A little bit closer and he was holding his breath, not knowing if her kissing him would be the best thing or worst thing that had happened to him all day. She was so close to him, and he wanted to pull away,  but he fought the instinct, wanting nothing more than to feel her lips on his own. _

_ She didn’t kiss him. _

_ She licked the ice cream off his nose. _

_ Jo pulled away in a fit of laughter, and Henry couldn’t help but join her. It had been a silly move, and they were so rarely silly that it was perfect. He wiped the rest of the ice cream away and continued eating, a smile still clear on both Jo’s face and his own. Paired with her smile were inquisitve eyes, watching him as he licked at the cone. He was sure she had questions about what he had told her, and he was more than ready to answer them if it meant they would be able to be friends again. But rather than open her mouth to ask the questions, she scooted closer to Henry on the seat and leaned into him, placing her head on his shoulder. _

_ Henry wondered what was going through her head, but it didn’t matter, because the way she was leaning against him mean that she trusted him again, and that was the only thing that mattered. He put the arm not holding the cone around Jo’s shoulder, and continued to eat the cheap ice cream. It was turning out to be a good day after all, maybe even a great one. _


	3. Chapter 3

Henry was on his way out the door when Adam approached him again. He didn’t know if he should tell the other immortal that he was too busy for this or if she should indulge his questions, but he was in no hurry. He waited for Adam’s inevitable question.

“Did you ever want children Henry?” Adam asked.

“I had a son, and it was the best experience of my life.” Henry replied. He didn’t know what was with Adam lately, and his strange, almost human questions.

“Abe wasn’t of your flesh and blood.”

“He was as much my son as any I produced would have been.” Henry argued, his temper flaring up at Adam for implying Abe wasn’t his real son. 

Adam didn’t seem willing to argue with that, and he held out his hand, producing one of Henry’s scarfs. “You forgot your scarf.” Was all he said before returning to his room.

Henry took one step toward the door, but hesitated, taking a moment to tie his scarf and remember why he wore them.

_ Henry smiled as he watched Abe stumble through the snow on his way home from school. He was so little that the snow came up past his knees, and even taking a step was a struggle. It was quite amusing, at least to Henry. _

_ “You ought to go help the boy before he falls over and gets all wet,” Abigail said, leaning agianst him from behind so she could see Abe stumbling about as well. _

_ “He doesn’t appear to be having too much trouble,” Henry said with a smile, watching his son take stumbling steps. It was clear his was struggling,despite what Henry insisted. _

_ Abigail smiled a bit, but shook her head at Henry. “You know he’s having trouble. Go rescue your son Henry.” _

_ Your son. Henry  would never get tired of those words.. _

_ He left the apartment, walking down the long flights of stairs to outside of the building. Abe lhad almost made it to the front step, and Henry didn’t have to venture very far into the snow to scoop the boy into his arms and deposit him safely inside the building. They began up the stairs, Abe immediately chattering away. _

_ “Dad, school was great today! Almost no one showed up, and the teachers let us sit wherever we wanted!” He grinned at his father, showing the two teeth he was missing on the bottom row. _

_ “Is that so?” Henry asked, patiently listening to his son. _

_ “Yeah! And during lunch we coudn’t go outside, so Lea taught me to make a scarf! It was boring, but she talked to me for nearly the entire time!” Abe continued, and Henry couldn’t help but chuckle at his son’s interest in girls at such a young age. Henry was certain that he had not spared one thought about girls at the age of six. _

_ “How did the scarf turn out?” Henry asked as he opened the door to the apartment. Abe shrugged, no doubt more eager to see his mother than to talk about some scarf he had helped make for no reason other than to talk to a girl. He pulled a crumpled piece of yarn from his pocket and tossed it at Henry.  _

_ “Here you go,” He said, “Now can I go inside?” _

_ Henry allowed his son to rush past him into the apartment, listening as he began to tell Abigail about his day in the same hurried voice he had used to tell Henry. He uncrumpled the yarn to see a few knots and what looked to be almost a proper stitch in it every once in awhile. It hardly qualified as a scarf, but Henry put it around his neck anyways. What could it harm? _

_ By the time Henry ventured into the kitchen, Abigail had sent Abe  off to practice piano and was cooking his a snack. SHe smiled at Henry, seeing the scarf. _

_ “Is that the scarf Abe made?” She asked. _

_ “His attempt at the very least.” _

_ Abigail laughed a bit, walking close to Henry. She continued towards him until they were pressed together and her hand was behind his neck. “You look good in scarves Dr. Morgan.” _

_ As Abigail kissed him, Henry resolved that he would have to wear scarves more often. _


	4. Chapter 4

Henry was having tea on the porch, and he wasn’t even surprised when Adam approached him this time, pouring himself a cup as tea as he joined Henry. He looked sad, and it was strange to see such a human emotion on Adam.

“It really is a curse, isn’t it Henry?”

Henry had a good idea what Adam was talking about, but Adam had never referred to their condition as a curse before, so he was hesitant to jump to conclusions.

“Our condition?”

Adam nodded. “Yes Henry, our condition. It’s nothing more than  a curse, is it?”

Henry knew he had thought that for a long time, but he didn’t like seeing Adam this sad. ANd despite how hard it was to live this way, Henry was becoming accustomed to it. His memories no longer hurt him, no longer seemed inextricably combined with the sadness of loss. Instead, they seemed happy, and the more time passed, the more Henry was able to look back on his many memories with fondness and happiness rather than the bittersweet calm that used to color every memory. It was unnerving that Adam was beginning to see their condition as Henry had for a long time, and even more so to see such a hardened man look sad. Henry decided to argue with the viewpoint that was making Adam upset.

“I didn’t always think so.” Henry responded.

Adam scoffed, disappearing with his tea, and Henry allowed himself think back to the time when his condition had been a good thing.

_ Henry was confused. He wasn’t sure what was going on, wasn’t sure how he was possibly still alive,how he could be standing there in his own yard. But outshining his confusion was outright joy. He was going to see Nora again. _

_ She must have seen him in the yard because she rushed outside to meet him. She ran into his arms and he held her as tightly as she could, wondering how he could have ever gotten this lucky. Lucky to have Nora as his wife, lucky to be see her again, lucky to be alive. When he had been shot, Henry had been sure he was leaving behind everything that mattered, leaving behind everything and everyone he loved. Yet somehow, here he was, standing in front of Nora as if nothing had happened to him at all and he had never even left. It was far beyond a blessing, and Henry could see it as nothing less than a miracle. _

_ “They told me you were dead.” She cried, tears streaming down her cheeks, and Henry felt horrible that he had caused her any pain. Nora was his love, and it didn’t matter that he hadn’t intended to hurt her, it was still unacceptable. _

_ Henry didn’t know if he should tell her what had happened, but she seemed content without an explanation. She was just as happy to see him back as he was to be home, and neither wanted to let go, to step away from the hug. Their limbs were as intertwined as their hearts, and Henry didn;t know what had kept him alive, but he couldn't have been more grateful. _


	5. Chapter 5

_ Henry walked into the building, ready to get to work. He had plenty of paperwork that he really should catch up on, and there was almost always a body for him to autopsy. He didn’t have time to dawdle. _

_ He almost didn’t  notice the streamers lining the hallways, and even when he did, he paid them no mind except to vaguely wonder if it was Lucas’s birthday and if he should have gotten his assistant a gift. He was not at all expecting the colorful paper to be adorning his office, along with confetti strewn about with no real rhyme or reason. His entire office was bathed in color, and Henry didn’t know whether to be confused or annoyed. _

_ “Surprise!’ Lucas called half-heartedly, obvious a little scared of what his boss would do. _

_ “Lucas,” Henry began, “What is this?” _

_ “Well this time last year you got this package on your desk and I thought it must be an important day for you and I thought you might like to celebrate..” Lucas trailed off, obviously rethinking his idea.  _

_ Henry wasn’t sure what to tell Lucas. It wasn’t an important day for him in any way, but he didn’t want Lucas to think he had done something wrong. Henry as actually grateful to his assistant for the effort. It had been a long time since anyone had tried getting him to celebrate anything, and it was nice to feel appreciated, even if Lucas was off on the date. _

_ “Thank you Lucas, but I think you’ll find that I have nothing to celebrate today.” Henry tried to break the news to him softly, but Lucas’s face still fell. _

_ “Oh...sorry Doc. I just thought… Nevermind. I’ll go prepare one of the bodies.” Lucas said, wlking off towards to other side of the morgue, where he would prepare another John Doe for Henry to examine. _

_ “Lucas.” _

_ Lucas stopped and looked at Henry. _

_ “I have found that having no reason to celebrate is not a compelling reason not to.” _

_ Lucas’ face lit up. _

_ “Oh good. I was wondering what I was going to do with the cake, and what I should tell Jo, and..” Lucas trailed off, seeing the amused expression on Henry’s face. “I’ll go get everything ready for the party. _

_ Henry chuckled as his assistant disappeared. He loved the sense of community he had foudn working here, both with Lucas and with the detectives upstairs. It was something he had been missing for quite a while, and it was good to have it back. _

“It isn’t your birthday Henry, there’s no reason for cake.” Adam chided, joining Henry at the table as he began cutting the cake into slices. 

“There’s no reason not to have cake either.” Henry argued, cutting a slice for Adam and handing him a plate of cake.

Henry was expecting a snide remark from Adam and for the other immprtal to ditch the plate and leave, but he jsut sat in silence as Henry cut a slice for himself.

They ate for several minutes befoer Adam spoke up again.

“Did you know that the latin word for lonely is secretus?” Adam asked.

Henry did know that. He knew a lot of Latin, mainly for Adam’s sake, and the words had been as meaningful to him as it was to Adam. ‘Secret’ was part of the word for lonely, and with such a big secret, it wasn’t so hard to imagine the two as inextricably combined.

“Yes, I do remember that.”

“I used to find that interesting Henry. Secret was one of my favorite words when I first learned English.” Adam mused. Henry wasn’t sure where he was going with this train of thought.

“I admit that I found the word secretus amusing when I was learning Latin.” Henry said.

“I’m starting to think that it’s not as set in stone as that. Maybe we don’t have to be lonely.” Adam said, and Henry couldn’t have been more surprised. He couldn’ think of Nyhting that it would be less like Adam to say.

“I don’t believe we do have to be lonely Adam. That has always been your viewpoint, not mine.” Henry said.

“Yes well, I believe I’ve changed my mind.”

Henry had never been more surprised in all of his years, and Adam’s change of heart made him smile. Perhaps they could finally be friends. It would be hard to forget everything Adam had done to him, but Henry had all the time in the world to forget all of that. It would be good to have a friend he could rely on while everything changed.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Henry replied, keeping his voice emotionless, but unable to hid his smile. He took a bit of his own slice of cake, basking in the sweetness. For the first time in a very long time, Henry was able to take in the childish joy of making a friend without having to worry about what would become of things, and he loved the hope that bubbled up within him.

Adam out an arm around Henry’s shoulder with a smile, and for the first time, Henry could have sworn that the other immortal was genuinely happy. “Me too, Henry. Me too.”

As Adam spoke, the dissolved back into the familiar silence that Henry had learned to love. It was a beautiful thing, the silence giving him space to think and remember the things that had formed him into the man he had become. One of the most impactful lines from a book that Henry had ever read was by Arthur Golden in Memoirs of a Geisha. “Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper,” Golden had written, and Henry had been determined from that day forth to never forget the things that had made him who he was. And even now, sitting at a table with a man he had once sworn his enemy, Henry set the memory into stone, forever to be remembered. Someday, fifty, a hundred, two hundred years from today he would look back on this memory as fondly as he looked back on the memories of his previous lives. The memories would stack higher and higher, and Henry would someday spend an entire week lost in his past. 

But today was not a day to live in the past, and Henry pulled himself from his thoughts. Today was a day to live, to experience and to prove to Adam that loneliness was not the only option. The cake dissolved on his tongue, and Henry couldn’t have been happier.


End file.
